A list of notable
National Hunt
National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches.
In ...
horse races
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
which take place annually in Great Britain, under the authority of the
British Horseracing Authority
The British Horseracing Authority, also known as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain.
It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regulatory Au ...
, including all races which currently hold Grade 1, 2 or Premier Handicap status, with distances shown in miles and furlongs (rounded to the nearest half-furlong).
History of the National Hunt Pattern
A National Hunt (NH) Pattern of important races was first recognized in 1964 when the
Horserace Betting Levy Board
The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), commonly abbreviated to the Levy Board, is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the United Kingdom. It is a statutory body established by the Betting Levy Act 1 ...
made a grant of £64,000 to fund a "prestige race allocation" split between the
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlon ...
,
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years ...
and
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...
. In 1968 a Jump Racing Pattern Committee headed by
Lord Leverhulme
William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (; 19 September 1851 – 7 May 1925) was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. Educated at a small private school until the age of nine, then at church schools, he joined his f ...
recommended the creation of a formal NH Pattern, which came into being in 1969 with 14 races initially. The Pattern underwent further revisions in the 1980s and was subject to a major change in 1989 when the
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom ...
, the governing body of British horseracing at the time, overhauled the Pattern to create a mid-season and season-ending Grade 1 race in each of twelve categories, with lead-up Grade 2 races and a set of 14 major handicaps of Grade 3 status. This forms the basis of the current Pattern, which has since been subject to further changes in status and number of races, most recently for the 2023–24 season. Major changes took place in the 2022–23 season when the Grade 3 handicaps were renamed Premier Handicaps and Listed handicaps were removed from the pattern, either becoming Premier Handicaps or being downgraded to Class 2 status.
Grade 1
Grade 2
Premier Handicaps
† Horse names in ''italics'' won that race in the 2024-25 season.
Listed
Conditions, novices, juveniles & sales
Criteria for inclusion;
*Class 2 conditions, novice or juvenile races worth £50,000 or more, or £40,000 or more and are of historical importance.
*Any sales race.
*Other conditions, novice or juvenile races with a linked article.
Other selected handicaps
Criteria for inclusion;
*Class 2 or Class 3 races worth £50,000 or more run between mid-October and the end of the season, or £40,000 or more between the start of the season and mid-October.
*Races worth £34,000 or more which are a course's most important race of the season or which have historical importance.
*All Regional Grand National races, and any Cross-Country race.
*Other handicap races with a linked article.
Hunter Chase Triple Crown
Discontinued
‡ Prize money figures in ''italics'' are from the previous season.
References
British Jump Pattern Book 2019–20Jump Pattern changes 2018/19BHA Jump Race upgrades for 2016/17 seasonBritish Jump Pattern Book 2023–24
----
{{DEFAULTSORT:British National Hunt races
National Hunt races
Horse racing-related lists
National Hunt races